Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, should be honoured with a state
funeral following his death aged 82, a US Congressman has said.

Mr Armstrong, the commander of the Apollo 11 mission that saw him become the first human to set foot on the moon, should be granted a state funeral in Washington DC, US Congressman Bill Johnson said.

Mr Johnson, a Republican who represents Mr Armstrong's home state of Ohio, said: "His one small step on the moon was indeed a giant leap for mankind, and it exemplified what we mean by 'American exceptionalism'.

"His first step on the moon showed the world that Americans can do anything. I still believe this, and I will always remember Neil Armstrong's life and his visionary accomplishments.

"For these reasons, I ask President Obama to hold a state funeral for Neil Armstrong so that every American may pay tribute to this groundbreaking hero."

A state funeral would typically involve pallbearers from five branches of the US Armed Forces, a series of artillery salutes, a flypast and a number of bands and choirs. The flag-draped coffin would be taken down Pennsylvania Avenue by horse-drawn gun-carriage to lie-in-state at the Capitol rotunda ahead of a service at Washington National Cathedral.

They are usually reserved for sitting or former Presidents and have been granted to only a handful others, including the Unknown Soldiers of the two World Wars and Generals MacArthur and Pershing. The last state funeral in the US was granted to former President Gerald Ford from December 30, 2006 to January 2, 2007.

However, Mr Armstrong, a former US Navy test pilot, was known to be a very private man who granted few interviews and shunned publicity. His family may object to a public funeral.

He would be entitled to a burial at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.

Mr Armstrong died after undergoing a heart-bypass surgery earlier this month to relieve blocked coronary arteries.

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon, hours after Apollo's Eagle lunar module had touched down on July 20 1969.

He radioed back to Earth the historic statement: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." He then spent nearly three hours walking on the moon with fellow astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.

Mr Armstrong in Washington last year

Praising Armstrong as a "reluctant American hero," his family said in a statement on Saturday that he had "served his nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut."

“Neil Armstrong was also a reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job. He served his Nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut."

President Barack Obama said: "Neil was among the greatest of American heroes–not just of his time, but of all time."

The British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore said: "As the first man on the moon, he broke all records. He was a man who had all the courage in the world."

Astronaut Neil Armstrong dies, aged 82

Charles Bolden, the NASA administrator, said: "As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind's first small step on a world beyond our own. We mourn the passing of a friend, fellow astronaut and true American hero."

Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Richard Nixon, and in 1978 he received the the Congressional Space Medal of Honour from President Jimmy Carter.

Last November Armstrong, along with three other astronauts, received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest US civilian award.

A statement from his family issued on Saturday night said he died following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures.

Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930. On July 20, 1936, when he was 6, he experienced his first airplane flight in Warren, Ohio, when he and his father Stephen, an auditor for the Ohio state government, took a ride in a Ford Trimotor, a three-engined transport plane that was also known as the "Tin Goose".

After serving as a naval pilot from 1949 to 1952, and serving in the Korean War, Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) – the precursor to NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - in 1955.

As a research pilot at NASA's Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., he was a project pilot on many pioneering high speed aircraft, including the well known, 4000-mph X-15.

Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot upon the Moon Photo: REUTERS

Armstrong joined the NASA astronaut corps in 1962. He was assigned as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. Gemini 8 was launched on March 16, 1966, and Armstrong performed the first successful manned docking of two vehicles in space.

His second and last spaceflight was as mission commander for the Apollo II moon landing.

After commanding the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong subsequently held the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. In this position, he was responsible for the coordination and management of overall NASA research and technology work related to aeronautics.

He was Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati between 1971-1979.

Armstrong and his wife, Carol, married in 1999, made their home in the Cincinnati suburb of Indian Hill, but he had largely stayed out of public view in recent years.

He spoke at Ohio State University during a February event honouring fellow astronaut John Glenn and the 50th anniversary of Glenn becoming the first American to orbit the Earth.

In May, Armstrong joined Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida to support the opening of The National Flight Academy, which aims to teach maths and science to kids through an aviation-oriented camp.